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Hydrotherapy is a healing
method that dates

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all the way back
to fifth century BC.

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It was used by
ayurvedic practitioners in Bhutan

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and has recently become
a mainstream practice.

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Ayurveda originated in India and
has spread through south Asia.

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It can be directly translated
into knowledge of life.

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This is a natural
system of medicine

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meaning it uses natural
remedies to help heal the body.

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In the context of ayurveda,
it means maintaining

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a healthy and balanced body to
prevent illness from reoccurring.

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Some common ayurvedic practices
are yoga, meditation,

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herbal treatments, special diets
and many other things.

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One region in which Ayurvedic medicine
is extremely prominent is Bhutan.

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Bhutan is a South
Asian country located

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on the eastern edge of the Himalayas.
It has a strong Buddhist culture

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and is known for being
one of the happiest countries

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This is mainly due to its
extremely stable ecosystem

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that has remained undamaged.

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 Hydrotherapy is a prominent practice in
not only Bhutan but also worldwide.

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Hydrotherapy is an 
alternative medicine that uses

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water as its main source of healing.
Hydrotherapy has proven useful

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in several illness treatments
and condition treatments,

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some of which include acne,
depression, arthritis and cold.

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Water works particularly
well for healing because

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because it can carry heat,
dissolve several substances

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like minerals and salts, comes easily
in different states of matter

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like solid, liquid, and gas
and takes weight off the body.

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One of the most common and well
known types of hydrotherapy

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is that of hot springs. Bhutan
has several famous hot springs

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and the benefits range from stress
relief to joint relief. Hot springs

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have had a large impact on
Bhutan not only commercially

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but also culturally, having hundreds
of years of history behind them.

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Another form of hydrotherapy
is actually used to treat

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rheumatoid arthritis. Though
hydrotherapy is considered

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an alternative medicine, more
and more studies have shown

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the use of hydrotherapy
for common ailments.

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Studies show that hydrotherapy
is not only more effective

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for treating rheumatoid
arthritis, but also

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increases the quality of
life for these patients.

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This is contrasted to the
western idea of medicine

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in the fact that
prescriptions are not

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always necessary for treatment.

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With water being such an
essential part of our lives,

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it makes sense that it has
often been linked to spirituality.

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There are many cultures and
religions where water depicts

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purification, protection, and
vulnerability. In Bhutan,

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professionals use man-made
medicated water

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to cure several kinds
of diseases. There are

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even some kinds of medicated
water that are specifically made

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for pregnant women and other groups
of people that can't take

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normal medicated water.
Drinking and bathing in

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medicated water heals
the spirit and eliminates

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impurities from the soul.

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Balneotherapy is a variant
of hydrotherapy that

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involves physical exercises in
warm water in order to alleviate

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physical pain. It can
help with musculoskeletal

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and neurologic diseases,
since this practice influences

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spinal segmental mechanisms,
which helps the whole

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nervous system and relieves
pain caused by said diseases.

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There is also evidence that
points to the fact that

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balneotherapy improves the
health of patients that suffer

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from chronic respiratory
diseases, helping their

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respiratory system work
more efficiently. This proves

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balneotherapy to be a
good and natural alternative

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to other methods of treatment
against these diseases.